Tree-climbing motor.



. No 742,447. v PATENTED OCT. 27, 1903.

w, B. KIDDER. TREE CLIMBING MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4, 1903.

N0 MODEL 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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No. 742,447. PATENTED OCT. 2'7, 1903. W. P. KIDDER. TREE CLIMBING MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4; 1903. Nb MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2;

Z 2 7 M g5 ,Z 761 /87d071' No. 742,447. Patented October 27, 1903,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WELLINGTON PARKER KIDDER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO FRANK H. GOODYEAR AND GEORGE E. MATTHEWS, TRUSTEES, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

TREE-CLIMBING MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters IPatent No. 742,447, dated October 27, 1903.

Application filed April 4, 1903. Serial No. 151,085. (No model.)

T all whom i may 00711067711: transverse shaft 13, which passes through the Be it known thatI, WELLINGTON PARKER front portion of the motor-carriage. KIDDER, a citizen of the United States, resid- Fixed on shaft 13 is a gear 14, which meshes ing at Boston, in the county of Sufiolk and with a pinion 15, fast on a stud 16, mounted State of Massachusetts,have invented certain in a bracket17, which is attached to the mo- 55 new and useful Improvements in Tree-Olimbtor-carriage frame. Stud 16 is provided with ing Motors, of which the following is a specia fixed crank-handle 18, and stud 16 also is fication, reference. being had therein to the fast on it and ratchet 19, for which there is accompanying drawings. provided a pawl 20. By turning handle 18 [0 Figure 1 is a side elevation of my new treepinion is rotated to rotate gear 14, fast on 60 climbing motor in place on a standing treeshaft 13, whereby the drums 12 are compelled trunk, a portion of the motor and motor-carto take up the ropes 11 and pull wheels 9 riage being broken away and sectioned for hard against the opposed side of the tree. greater clearness. Fig. 2 is a view, partly in Pawl 20, cooperating with ratchet 19, holds 15 section on 2 2 of Fig. 1, looking down. Fig. wheels 9 properly against the tree-trunk. To 65 3 is an elevation of the rear side of the motor the lower trunk-corner of the motor-carriage in place on a tree-trunk, a portion of the mothere is attached a large bracket 21, which is tor-carriage being broken away and sectioned secured, as at 22, to the motor-carriage frame. for greater clearness. Fig. 4is afragmentary The bracket 21 has a wing 23 in a transverse View looking down on the upper guide-roller bearing 24, within which is mounted a trans- 70 and its supporting-arms. verse shaft 25, having fixed on it a gear 26 and Ilhe object of my invention is to devise a also a serrated driving-wheel 27, which enmotor and carriage adapted to ascend and degages that side of the tree which is opposite the scend standing trees (or other vertical obwheels 9. Driving-wheel 27 is dug into the 2 5 jects, like flagpoles, &c.,) and to carry one or bark or side of the tree in the ascent and de- 75 more persons up and down the tree-trunk. scent of the motor and constitutes the propel- One of the main uses contemplated for my ling feature of the apparatus. Gear 26 meshes invention is the removal of bark from standwith a worm 28 on a crank-shaft which is ing trees. mounted in the wing 23. This crank-shaft is 30 In the drawings illustrating theprinciple indicated by 29. Parallel arms 30 hold engine 80 of myinvention and the best mode now known 31 on the crank-shaft 29, their outer ends beto me of applying that principle, T repreing enlarged for the passage therethrough of sents a standing tree-trunk,and 1 is the floor portions of the crank-shaft. A conduit 32 of the motor-carriage, which is provided with from an air-compressor or steam-engine or 35 vertical supports 2 and suitable cross-supsteam-boiler, for example, leads to engine 31 8 ports 3. To the floor of the carriage parallel for operating it, conduit 32 being provided arms 4 are attached, as at 5, and extend rearwith a suitable cut-off valve 33. Crank-arm wardly from the opposite lower corners of the 29 is mechanically driven from engine 31 by carriage any desired distance, the outer ends the connecting-rods 34 of the engine, the slideof the arms 4 being pressed to the carriagevalve links 35 of which comprise eccentric- 9o frame by suitable supports 6. The outer end straps and eccentrics mounted on the vertical portions of arms 4 are provided with a lengthauxiliaryshaft 36, which is provided with a wise-extending slot 7, in which slots there is fixed gear 37, which meshes with a gear 38, slidably mounted a transverse shaft 8, which fast on the upper end of crank-shaft 29. The 5 carries between the arms 4 suitable trunkconstruction and operation of the engine, its 5 engaging wheels or disks 9. A collar 10 is connecting-rods, slide-valve, and slide-valvemounted on each end portion of transverse actuating mechanism will be readily undershaft 8, and to each collar there is attached stood by all skilled in the art without partica flexible strap or chain 11, each of which is ular description. wound up on a suitable drum 12, fast on the The engine operates to drive crank-shaft I00 29, and thus through gears 38 and 37 to rotate the shaft 36 and operate the slide-valves of the engine at the proper time. When crankshaft 29 rotates, worm 28 is rotated, and thereby the shaft 25 rotates the serrated driver 27 and compels it to perform its work. The upper portion of the motor-carriage frame is provided with a pair of parallel slide-bars 50, each of which is serrated at its front end and provided with a pair of parallel slots 52, through which headed studs 53 project from vertical side pieces 2 of the motor-carriage frame. The rear ends of rack-bar 50 are connected by a therein-pivoted roller 54, which engages the same side of the tree that is engaged by the wheels 9. Teeth 51 of the rackbars 50 engage with pinions 55 on transverse shaft 56, which is provided with a suitable handle 57. By turning handle 57 the rackbars are moved in either direction to draw guide-roll 54 against the side of the tree-trunk to release it therefrom.

It will be plain that my new tree-climbing motor may be greatly modified in whole and in part without departn re from my invention. It is intended to carry as'a passenger up and down the tree-trunk the laborers who may be employed to remove bark from standing trees. The importance of removing bark from hemlock and oak trees without first felling them is set forth in my prior patent, No. 711,573, dated October 21, 1002, and in several pending applications.

What I claim is- A tree-climbing motor, comprising, in combination, a suitable carriage-frame; a driver; an engine, operatively connected with the driver to rotate the same; and means for clamping the driver against the tree-trunk; and for guiding the carriage up and down the trunk.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WELLINGTON PARKER KIDDER.

Witnesses:

E. A. ALLEN, M. E. OovENEY. 

